Brazilian restaurant chain opens in Coral Springs

A restaurant chain known as Vivenda do Camarão in Brazil introduced itself as "The Shrimp House" to South Florida Wednesday, celebrating the opening of its first U.S. restaurant in Coral Springs.

The Shrimp House, serving a variety of dishes mainly featuring shrimp, opened at Coral Square Mall. Diners have two options: Be served by a wait staff in the restaurant or order from a counter facing the food court's communal tables.

Restaurant operators say they want to capitalize on a strong Brazilian population in South Florida to help them grow the company's presence in the U.S.

"We have a cultural relationship with South Florida. Everyone in Brazil hears about Florida," said Carlo Barbieri, president of The Shrimp House. "And Brazilians know about us. They know the quality of our products, and we're hoping they can help us get started here."

Vivenda do Camarão started in 1984 in Brazil and now has 161 restaurants in Latin America.

In Florida, the company plans to open at least seven other restaurants by the end of 2014, investing about $500,000 per restaurant opening, Barbieri said.

Cities targeted for The Shrimp House restaurants include Boca Raton, West Palm Beach and Orlando, Barbieri said. Some of the upcoming restaurants will be just food court locations. Others, like the one in Coral Springs, will be a combination of a traditional dine-in seating along with to-go counter.

"We want to give customers the convenience of either grabbing a meal to go, or if they have more time, the opportunity to come in and sit down," Barbieri said.

The Shrimp House offers more than 20 entrees. Prices vary from $7.99 to $10.99.

"Coral Square Mall is thrilled to add an international concept like Shrimp House to our lineup," Xiomara Fraga, director of marketing and business development for Coral Square Mall said in a statement. "We are proud to offer our customers an option they cannot find anywhere else in the U.S."